New London nearly stuns No. 2 Montezuma

MONTEZUMA — The New London football team gave it everything they had on Friday night.

The Tigers rallied back from a 14-point deficit to nearly knock off unbeaten and second-ranked Montezuma in the Class 8-player playoffs, but they fell just short in a 36-34 defeat.

New London trailed 28-14 in the second half but rallied with two touchdowns to tie the game at 28-28 early in the fourth quarter.

Led by All-State quarterback Eddie Burgess, Montezuma broke the tie with a touchdown and two point conversion to retake the lead at 36-28. New London came right back to score a touchdown but couldn’t convert on the two-point try.

New London quarterback Dom Lopez had an extremely efficient day, going 11-for-12 for 131 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 30 yards. His favorite target was Bowen Glaha, who caught five passes for 101 yards and three scores.

Joel Lacy ran for 105 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and also caught three passes for 16 yards and a score. Boden Pickle ran for 103 yards.

Burgess didn’t have an efficient passing game, going just 11-for-25 against the Tiger defense. He threw for 187 yards, two scores and one interception, a ball picked off by New London’s Evan Reed.

Burgess was able to burn the Tigers on the ground, rushing for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

New London’s topsy-turvy season ended at 4-4. The Tigers won their first two games of the year and were in the Class 8-Player rankings before dropping three-straight games. New London had to win its last two contests to slip into the playoff field.

Montezuma is now 10-0 and will take on No. 5 Audubon in the Round of 16 this week.